Sheet Metal Brake - Buying Tips & Prices
Sheet metal breaks are used to fold sheet metal at a perfect straight line. Main application is to use steel sheets to fabricate boxes, pans or trailers. The brake is a long device which you can place the metal sheet on. After the sheet is placed, there a two clamps on each of the ends, which will hold the sheet firmly in place during the bending process.
Sheet metal brakes are perfect for automotive and industrial work. Most of them can be manually operated without any power supply by a single person. Hand operated machines are able to bend a sheet at for at least an angle of 90 degrees, while majority of them can go up to 120 degrees. On a manual brake generally around 16 gauge (1.6mm) sheets can be bent with ease.
Solution for Heavy Duty Bending
For larger and thicker metal sheets, you can buy manual brakes operated by two people. For heavy duty workshops where there’s a constant workload for sheet metal bending, buying a mechanical plate bending machine will be much more effective and efficient.
Pricing of Metal Bending Brakes
The price of the brakes mainly depend on the width of the device. Hand brakes that can bend 30” – 36” sheets can be purchased for around $250-$400. The smaller ones that bend around 8”-18” are cheaper for less than $100. Manual brakes that can bend sheets up to 52” can cost above $2000.
Some devices come with their own stand, and the others should be placed on a desk or a table. So ensure that your workshop has the space to place them. The ones with a stand are around the height of 12”. Since these are heavy and bulky items, if you’re buying from a sale online, factor in the shipping charges as well.
Buying a Used Sheet Metal Brake
If the cash is tight, you can always buy a used one and save some money. Since these are manually operated devices, even the second hand ones can be used for a very long period. When you buy a used one, ensure that the clamps can be secured firmly, and you can still get a crisp and straight line as final the outcome.
